Addiction

ARTICLE BY SUPERSUB

Addict; Someone who exhibits a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behaviour, or activity. Miriam-Webster.

Hi everyone, my name is and I’m an addict. There, I’ve said it, it’s out in the open now.
I don’t really wanna stop being an addict either (I’m not sure that’s even possible with this particular addiction), but I do know that I’ve been addicted for a very long time now…decades in fact. It’s completely taken over my life at times & I’ve done things to feed this addiction that non-addicts would never be able to understand.

I guess it is what it is, I’m an addict. I think it’s almost impossible for me to break this addiction so that, even if I ever really wanted to stop, I don’t think that I’d be capable of doing so.

I’m sure that there are many more like me out there, even maybe some of you reading this and, like with any other addiction, there’s always people there who are willing to take advantage of the situation & supply you with whatever you need to satisfy your craving. 24/7 – seven days a week.
At a cost.

I was reading up on this the other day & came across a list of some of the the psychological & behavioural symptoms of addiction. Have a read through. Be honest now, have you (or anyone you know)……at any time…..shown any/some/most/all of the symptoms below, whilst following this (or any other) football club….????

Mood swings
Increased temper
Tiredness
Defensiveness
Agitation
Inability to focus or concentrate
Putting your personal safety at risk
Feelings of hopelessness
Disrupted sleep patterns
Exacerbation of any existing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or stress
Secretive or dishonest behaviour

Personally, I can say YES to all. I guess I’m addicted to football.

Before games started to be played in empty, soulless stadiums, I’d ticked all those boxes at one time or another & I’m sure many others have too. Why do we put ourselves thru all this…?? Because we’re addicted, that’s why. And what makes this worse, is that the people who are in control of the football that we’re addicted to know this & they also know that they can do almost anything they want and, most of the time, they’ll get away with it because addicts do whatever addicts need to do.
As W.C. Fields said, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, and that’s enough to make a decent living.”

And this addiction is real. I never really thought about it as such & it was only when all this esl nonsense broke out and I, again like many others, decided that they couldn’t continue to support Liverpool FC as things stood, that it suddenly dawned on me.

I was adamant that it was the end as far as I was concerned & I’d have to turn my back on the club that I’ve fervently supported for near enough 50 years. I was heartbroken about that, but I know that I’d make exactly the same decision, in the same circumstances every single time.

And, after making that extremely painful decision, what was the first thing that I did…..????
I went straight onto the internet & straight onto a webpage where I could buy an annual membership for City of Liverpool FC (Come on you purples). That’s an addict for ya.

Is there a point to all this…?? Not really, just the ramblings of a disillusioned life-long football supporter (addict). Having said that, this addiction has led to me watching quite a lot of brilliant football related films/documentaries etc during this ‘lockdown’, especially with a growing disinterest in watching football games with no supporters in the stadiums. So, if you have the time and/or the inclination, here’s a few that are (imo) definitely worth checking out…addict or not.

I’ll leave aside the obvious ones, like ‘The Three Kings’ & ‘Liverpool FC, The 30-Year Wait’ & focus on some that might just have slipped under the radar. I won’t go into too much detail on each one (no spoilers). If anyone’s interested in any of these, it might mean a google search “watch (insert title) online free”. I can’t really condone the use of free streaming sites in an article on here, but I’m more than happy to answer any questions below, on where any these might be ‘found’. 😉 These first one is currently available on BBC iplayer, VPN need for those outside the UK.

‘Bury; Bringing Football Back’. (2020)
An inspirational story that shows just how much football means to supporters, whatever level their club plays at. (See also ‘Different League; The Derry City Story – Back from the brink.’ (2021) and ‘Orient: Club For A Fiver’ – (1995)

Football: North Korea; ‘The Game of Their Lives’ (2018)
A fascinating look at North Korea’s involvement in the 1966 World Cup.

‘Next Goal Wins’ (2014) The story of the American Samoa national football team. Rated the worst national team in the FIFA rankings (their 31-0 defeat to Australia is on youtube). Set against the backdrop of their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign

Finally, three that are currently available on Amazon Prime, under the title, ‘This Is Football’, TV series (2019). It’s worth getting the free 30 day trial for these, or blagging the use someone else’s account (ever the cheapskate).

Episode 2. ‘Belief’…
The story of the rise of the Japanese women’s national football team, set against the backdrop of the 2011 earthquake/tsunami disaster & also charting the rise in popularity in women’s international football & how it ‘conquered’ America for the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

Episode 5. ‘Love’… Described on IMDb as, “A series of stunning vignettes, that paint a picture of the world’s global sport, each one capturing a different portrait of the human condition, and our essential emotions expressed in it.” Fascinating stuff.

And, finally……In my opinion, I’ve been saving the best till the last….
If I was to recommend any football documentary to any football supporter, and specifically to any Liverpool supporter, it’d be this one……

Episode 1. ‘Redemption: How Football Saved Rwanda’. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10578786/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

Quite simply, in my humble opinion, the best football documentary I have ever seen & one that had me in floods of tears at times, but also left me feeling incredibly proud of the football club that I’ve supported all these years. I can even feel the tears welling up at the back of my eyes, just writing about this amazing piece of film. Truly inspirational stuff. PLEASE watch this.

Well, that went on for a lot longer than I expected. I hope at least some of you have made it all the way thru to the end & I hope you enjoy watching some or all of these.

My name is and I’m a football addict.

I guess, in my own little fantasy world, I’d love to be part of something that brings football supporters together & starts to loosen the grip that corporations like Sky/BT have on football (maybe I am already, we’ll see).  Hitting them where it hurts (££££) & watching as the whole house of cards tumbles & a glorious phoenix rises from the ashes, a whole new, refreshed world of football…for the fans, by the fans etc etc.   I’m not naive, I know it’s just a pipe-dream, but……. As a much wiser man than me once said,  ‘People say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one’